In a future world of scarce resources, the world government regulates the population into two working classes (alphas and betas) in order to maximize conservation. These two classes rotate in and out of suspended animation for 72-hour periods. But what happens when an Alpha and a Beta fall in love with each other and never see each other face-to-face except for shift changes?
Opening narration
| "To sleep—perchance to dream.' But what happens when the dream is to never sleep again?" |
Plot
Eric and Larissa are stasis partners, two people who share a stasis pod. While one of them works in the facility, the other is placed in stasis so they don't use resources. They change places every 72 hours, during which they briefly see each other. They also share the same workload and leave messages with each other in their shared living space to catch up on required work details. However, they are also secretly in love, leaving affectionate messages for each other but not daring to express them in person because it is against the law.
In the wider world, there is a resistance movement in which workers rebel against the established order, and especially against the elites like Eric's friend, Dominic. Dominic is a former worker whose parents elevated him to the elite. Eric witnesses a resistance member get caught by law enforcement, but does nothing to help. Eric goes about his work and stops by the office of Winston, a man who deals in literature. He provides Eric with an illicit copy of 20th century poetry, and also asks Dominic to provide him with a rose, planning to surprise Larissa with a romantic gesture. Unbeknownst to Eric, Dominic is also attracted to Larissa, and invites her to a private garden party for the elite. Dominic convinces Larissa to end the romance with Eric.
Eric decides to pursue a way to release Larissa from stasis and run away with her. He attempts to forcibly open the stasis pod, but is caught by law enforcement. However, instead of prison, Eric is released because Dominic vouched for Eric's necessary engineering skills. Eric returns to work and receives a secret message revealing that the planned migration of the alpha workers is, in fact, a plan to kill them in order to use them as another energy resource while eliminating their drag on resources.
Eric goes to Winston for help, believing he is involved with the resistance. With his help, they free Larissa from stasis. Eric and Larissa get a brief respite to finally be together before they are arrested along with Winston. While imprisoned, Winston tries to get Eric to reveal his contact within the elite, but Eric doesn't know who provided him with the information. Eric realizes that Winston is a double agent, working with the elites to root out the resistance members. Winston threatens to kill Larissa if Eric doesn't reveal the informant.
Just as they are about to kill Larissa, the resistance arrives to free them. Dominic reveals himself as the informant, and realizes that Larissa is the woman Eric fell in love with. They oversee the release of the workers in stasis and ponder their new challenge of maintaining an expanded population with limited resources, but at least they are all free.
Closing narration
| "Unless humankind awakens to the need to preserve its future, it may one day find itself asleep...for eternity." |
Notes
- The character name Winston is a reference to the 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and the equally invasive and oppressive totalitarian system ruling humanity in that story.
- The stasis units were later reused in "Abaddon".
Cast
- Sean Patrick Flanery as Eric Waters
- Kristin Lehman as Larissa Whitestone
- Kavan Smith as Dominic Langton
- Matthew Walker as Winston
- Maureen Thomas as Elizabeth
- Robert Lewis as Miguel
- Brenda Crichlow as Kayla Powers (as Brenda M. Crichlow)
- Gordon Tipple as Finerman
- Garfield Wilson as Officer
- Phillip Mitchell as Security Man
- Erica Carroll as Claudia
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)